Just a quick note to let you know I have a post today over at the group blog YA INDIE. I blogged about how writers can connect with readers on Goodreads. This is my second post over there. The first post dealt with why I like to blog and how to think about topics.

If you’re a writer you don’t need to be YA or INDIE to find useful ideas and tips, so head on over. I’m enjoying this group blog as a new way to connect with other authors, and if you’re a reader not a writer, you might still find some really cool new authors, so you’re invited to the party, too.

Is this the right word? The right way to phrase this? Is my grammar flawless? How ’bout punctuation?

It’s O.K. Or, on second thought — is it okay?

The lyrics in this song, What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me? express this fear…well, perfectly. Joe Cocker is not Pavarotti, but I’m okay with that. I’m also, for the record, O.K. with that.

When it comes to my writing, the thing is, I know I’m not perfect and I’m pretty sure I never will be. In fact, look at the title of this post. It should have been posted yesterday. It’s not Music Tuesday, right? Not to belabor the point or anything.

So if a part of my writing is out of tune, will readers stop reading? Some will. But my friends will hear the heart beneath that sour note. Today, I was given an incredible reminder of why it’s O.K. (okay) to sing your own song, your own way. Cassie Deaton posted a review of Dolphin Girl over at her Shadow Kisses blog. She gets me, warts and all. It reminds me that like Joe Cocker, I need to say, Lend me your ear and I’ll sing you a song and I’ll try not to sing out of key.

Now, let’s listen to Joe rasp and growl together, cause the guy’s got a ton of heart and soul.

Shoot, I don’t even know if texter is a word. Microsoft says no, but it is part of my vocabulary and I stink. It might be that I use an old phone that’s not really condusive to texting. It might just be that it seems like too much work. My kids’ fingers fly and there are times that I wonder if texting is somehow the future of writing.

I hope not.

Still, I’d like to be better at it. It seems like part of my problem stems from the fact that I simply don’t know all the lingo. I’m almost convinced that if I did, I could be great. Or at least better. Maybe?

So, I visited net lingo, a site that bills itself as having the largest list of text and chat acronyms.

It was a lot of fun.

Okay. Fun might be a stretch, but I’m a nerd, so it was fun for me. And, as I read through all the abbreviations, it occurred to me that a lot of them could work for writers. We could use them as quickie notes to ourselves when revising our own work or for edits/critique of others. So, as a weird-ish public service announcement I’ve compiled a list, through the letter D. Here goes:

! – I have a comment411 – Information511 – Too much informationAAK – Asleep At KeyboardAB – Ass Backwards (This one is really useful to me. I tend to get the order of events wrong in first drafts)ACK – AcknowledgmentsALOL – Actually Laughing Out LoudAR – Action Required (another way of saying show don’t tell?)book – It means cool. (I don’t know how to use this, but just thought this would make a lot of writers happy!)BWTM – But Wait There’s More (this one is good for when you leave out critical info)CNP – Continued in Next PostCRAFT – (It’s probably not what you think, it has absolutely nothing to do with craft! *hint* CR = Can’t Remember. It’s similar to CRAT and CRAWS)d/c – disconnectedD+M – deep and meaningfuld00d – dude also dewd (this has nothing to do with writing! It’s just funny that none of these are shorter or easier than the original.)DENIAL – Don’t Even Notice I Am Lying (extremely clever!)ditto – DittoDNC – Does Not ComputeDNPMPL – Damn Near Peed My Pants Laughing (a good thing if it’s meant to be funny, otherwise…not so much)DORD – Department of Redundancy DepartmentDUNA – Don’t Use No Acronyms (you gotta love the grammar)DRIB – Don’t Read If Busy

And that’s it for the first (and maybe last) installment of texting tips! If you like this, share or LAC* and if it seems like enough people like it, I’ll CFP**